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EX  LIBRIS  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


JOHN  HENRY  NASH  LIBRARY 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

PRESENTED  1OTHE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

ROBERT  GORDON  SPRQUL,  PRESIDENT. 
<$>    BY"  * 

MR.ANDMRS.MILTON  S.RAY 
CECILY,  VIRGINIAA-NDROSALYN  RAY 

AND  THE 

RAY  OIL  BURNEROOMPANY 


idtsae.-   m  i'*m 


TAw  monument  on  the  property  of  the  Vidalon  Mills 

marks  the  spot  from  which  the  first  balloon  ascended  on 

December  14,  1782 


Dedicated  to  the  memory  of 
PIERRE  DE  MONTGOLFIER 


Copyright,  1922 

CANSOW  &  MONTgOLFIER 
New  York 


THIS  STORY  IS  PUBLISHED  WITH  THE  INTEN- 
TION OF  PORTRAYING  TO  THOSE  INTERESTED 
IN  THE  USE  OF  PAPER  A  BRIEF  HISTORICAL 
AND  ROMANTIC  SKETCH  OF  THE  OLD  MANU- 
FACTURE ROYALE  OF  VlDALON,  ARDECHE, 
FRANCE. 

FOR  CENTURIES  VlDALON  MlLLS  HAVE  BEEN 
OPERATED  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  THE  DE 
MONTGOLFIER  FAMILY,  GENERATION  SUC- 
CEEDING GENERATION. 


i  HE  Vidalon  Paper  Mills  were  already  well  known  in 
the  sixteenth  century.  At  that  time  they  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  wealthy  family  De  Boulieu,  of  Annonay.  In 
1670,  the  Vidalon  Paper  Mills  were  sold  by  Louis  De  Boulieu, 
Seigneur  de  Charlieu,  to  Barthelemy  Grottier,  Squire  Des  Marets, 
who  was,  at  that  time,  Official  Counsel  to  the  Parliament. 
Barthelemy  Grottier  married  Mademoiselle  Olympe  De  Calbert  Des 
Fonds.  At  his  death  his  widow  became  sole  heir  and  she  placed  the  mills 
under  the  management  of  Antoine  Chelles,  who  was  then  sales  representa- 
tive of  the  Vidalon  Mills.  On  March  12,  1689,  Antoine  Chelles  bought 
from  the  widow  of  Barthelemy  Crottier  and  for  his  own  account  the  mills 
which  he  and  his  family  had  managed  for  many  years  for  the  preceding 
owners. 

Antoine  Chelles  had  two  daughters,  who,  on  January  14, 1693,  married 
the  brothers  Raymond  and  Michel  Montgolfier,  sons  of  Jean  Montgolfier, 
one  of  a  family  originating  from  Ambert,  Puy-de-Dome,  the  very  cradle 
of  the  French  paper  industry.  Eventually  Raymond  Montgolfier  became 
the  owner  of  the  Vidalon  Mills.  There  he  lived,  made  many  important 
improvements  in  the  mills,  and  died  leaving  a  family  of  nineteen  children. 
Upon  his  death  the  property  was  inherited  by  his  son,  Pierre. 

Pierre  Montgolfier 

Pierre  Montgolfier,  born  at  Tence,  (Haute-Loire),  February  22,  1700, 
died  at  Vidalon,  June  2,  1793,  the  father  of  sixteen  children.  He  is  the 
ancestor  of  nearly  all  the  branches  of  the  Montgolfier  family  in  existence 
today.  Pierre  Montgolfier  was  a  man  of  superior  intelligence  and  high 
moral  character.  With  the  able  assistance  of  his  sons  the  mills  soon  made 
rapid  progress.  It  was  this  Pierre  Montgolfier  who  built  the  first  machine 
for  grinding  rags.  He  began  to  study  the  mechanism  of  this  machine 
in  Switzerland  in  1750,  which  was  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  before 
Desmarets,  then  Chief  Inspector  and  Director  of  the  French  Manu- 
factures, came  to  Vidalon  to  make  the  first  installation  of  the  then  new 
Dutch  cylinders  with  the  cooperation  of  Etienne  Montgolfier,  son  of 
Pierre,  and  with  the  subsidies  of  the  Vivarais  States. 

Pierre  Montgolfier  has  left  some  remarkable  memoirs.  Notably 
among  these  is  a  report  on  the  condition  of  the  Annonay  Mills  in  1769;  he 
wrote  a  treatise  on  the  defects  of  paper  with  special  regard  to  sizing  and 
to  the  paper  pulp,  the  customs  duties,  and  the  regulations  regarding  the 
mills  and  their  workmen. 


VIDALON 


General  offices  and  residence  of  managing  directors 


Selecting  and  cutting  rags  at  Vidalon-Le-Haut 
6 


VIDALON 


"Letters  Patent"  given  to  Pierre  Montgolfier  by  the  King,  Louis  XVI, 
show,  "That  having  received  from  his  parents  a  paper  mill  located  at 
Annonay,  in  the  Vivarais,  he  has  rendered  it  by  his  cares  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  Kingdom.  .  .  .  and  that  he  made  in  his  factory  the  first 
tests  on  wove  papers."  It  is  said,  moreover,  that  in  ennobling  the 
father — Pierre  Montgolfier — the  King,  by  this  act,  intended  to  reward 
at  the  same  time  Pierre  Montgolfier 's  two  sons,  Joseph  and 
Etienne  for  the  success  attained  at  Vidalon,  December  14,  1782,  in  an 
experiment  of  their  invention,  the  hot  air  balloon,  known  now  as  the 
"Montgolfiere."  Demonstrations  of  this  balloon,  the  forerunner  of  all 
aerostatic  machines,  were  later  given,  first  at  Annonay,  June  5,  1783, 
before  the  notables  of  the  Vivarais  States,  and  again  the  I9th  of  the  fol- 
lowing September,  at  Versailles,  in  the  presence  of  the  King,  Queen  and 
Court. 

"Manufacture  Royale" 

At  last,  on  March  19,  1784,  the  Vidalon  Mills  received  the  title  of 
"Manufacture  Royale,"  and  also  the  prize  founded  by  the  Ordinance  of 
December  28,  1777,  awarded  to  "those  who  have  opened  new  roads  for 
the  national  industry  or  who  have  contributed  to  its  improvement." 

Pierre  de  Montgolfier  finished  his  long  and  fruitful  career  at 
the  age  of  93  years.  While  still  living  he  gave  the  Vidalon  Mills  to  his 
son,  Etienne,  as  the  one  of  his  children  whom  he  considered  the  most 
capable  to  succeed  him. 

Etienne  and  Joseph  Montgolfier,  Inventors 

As  mentioned  before,  Etienne  and  his  brother  Joseph  are  recorded  in 
history  as  the  inventors  of  the  aerostat.  In  addition,  Joseph,  whose 
inventive  spirit  was  constantly  active,  is  famed  for  numerous  other 
inventions,  principally  the  Hydraulic  Pulsator,  the  Hydraulic  Press,  the 
Stereotype  as  a  means  of  perpetuating  printing  plates,  the  Bleu  d'Out- 
remer,  also  known  later  under  the  name  of  Bleu  Guimet,  and  the  lamp 
with  the  cylindric  glass,  called  "Quinquet"  after  the  name  of  the  man 
who  commercialized  the  invention.  The  science  and  talents  of  Joseph 
soon  caused  him  to  be  chosen  Administrator  of  the  Conservatoire  des  Arts 
and  Metiers,  then  member  of  the  Consulting  Bureau  des  Arts  et  Manu- 
factures, and  later  a  member  of  the  Institut  de  France.  He  was  made 
Chevalier  de  la  Legion  d'Honneur  by  Napoleon  I. 

Etienne  de  Montgolfier,  of  more  practical  spirit  than  Joseph, 
had  cooperated  with  the  latter  in  several  of  his  inventions  but  he  devoted 
most  of  his  time  and  energy  to  the  Vidalon  Mills.  He  made  many  great 
improvements,  the  principal  ones  being  enumerated  in  his  memoirs. 


VIDALON 


Hand  paper  making  at  Vidalon-Le-Haut 


Drying  hand  made  paper 
8 


VIDALON 


In  these  memoirs  there  may  be  found  interesting  details  on  the  manufac- 
ture and  sizing  of  papers  and  also  a  plan  and  description  of  a  machine 
he  invented  to  maintain  a  constant  and  evenly  stirred  supply  of  pulp 
in  the  vats. 

Barthelemy  de  Canson 

Upon  the  death  of  Etienne  Montgolfier,  the  son-in-law,  Bar- 
thelemy, Baron  de  Canson,  who  was  his  business  associate  since  the 
5th  Vendemiaire  an  V,  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Vidalon  Mills. 
It  was  this  de  Canson  who  made  possible  the  great  strides  of  the  paper 
industry  by  discovering  a  process  of  sizing  by  means  of  rosin  and  by 
producing  colored  papers.  Later  he  installed  one  of  the  first  machines 
to  continuously  manufacture  paper.  He  was  made  Pair  de  France  in 
1830  and  a  Chevalier  de  la  Legion  D'Honneur  in  1831. 

Etienne  de  Canson,  who  succeeded  his  father,  Barthelemy,  invented 
the  suction  pump  which  controls  the  thickness  of  the  paper  and  permits 
the  speed  of  the  paper  machines  to  be  greatly  increased.  He  invented 
an  injector  for  the  boilers  of  steam  engines  and  he  also  invented  the 
turbine  engine  which  bore  his  name. 

Etienne  was  a  man  of  incredible  activity  and  was  interested  in  every- 
thing that  affected  his  community.  He  was  the  one  who,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  friend,  Etienne  Frachon,  the  mayor  of  Annonay,  pro- 
moted the  erection  of  the  Dam  du  Ternay,  a  large  reservoir  of  1 10,000,000 
cubic  feet,  which  furnishes  the  water  to  the  town  of  Annonay.  He 
also  erected,  on  land  purchased  by  his  father,  the  Mill  of  Pupil,  where 
colored  papers  are  made  to  this  day.  The  dimensions  of  this  building 
prove  to  what  point  he  had  visualized  the  extensive  future  of  the  industry 
he  was  managing.  He  was  made  a  Chevalier  de  la  Legion  d'Honneur  in 
1849. 

Marc  Seguin 

At  the  death  of  Etienne  de  Canson,  in  1860,  the  Vidalon  Mills 
became  the  property  of  Marc  Seguin  aine,  civil  engineer,  a  corres_ 
ponding  member  of  the  Institut  de  France  and  a  Chevalier  de  la  Legion 
d'Honneur.  Marc  Seguin  was  the  grandson  of  Pierre  de  Montgolfier. 
Besides  his  well  known  inventions,  suspension  bridges  and 
tubular  boilers,  he  was  the  builder  of  the  first  railroad  in  France  and 
the  author  of  numerous  memoirs  much  appreciated  by  the  many  French 
and  foreign  intellectuals  with  whom  he  associated. 

Marc  Seguin,  with  his  son-in-law  and  young  grandsons-in-law, organized 
a  society  under  the  name  of  the  Manufactures  de  Vidalon.  The  general 
management  of  this  society  he  gave  to  his  son-in-law,  Laurent  de  Montgol- 
fier, 1817-1884,  who,  for  23  years  proved  himself  worthy  of  his  ancestors. 


VIDALON 


Entrance  to  the  Pupil  mill  at  Vidalon 


Power  house  and  shop  of  Pupil 
10 


VIDALON 


Laurent  de  Montgolfier 

Under  a  most  affable  exterior,  Laurent  de  Montgolfier,  who 
still  lives  in  memory,  possessed  a  great  intelligence  and  a  rare  energy. 
He  knew  that  by  increasing  the  number  of  his  steam  engines  and  other 
means  of  production  he  would  give  an  extraordinary  uplift  to  the  Mills 
of  Vidalon.  He  soon  doubled  both  the  production  and  the  extraordinary 
appreciation  with  which  the  products  of  the  Vidalon  Mills  are  received. 
He  was  made  Chevalier  de  la  Legion  d'Honneur  in  1869  and  Chevalier  de 
1'order  Imperial  et  Royal  de  Francois  Joseph,  in  1873. 

Incorporated  1880 

In  1880  the  members  of  the  Societe  Canson  &  Montgolfier  decided  to 
take  the  form  of  a  corporation  and  since  then  the  Manufacture  de  Vidalon 
have  been  under  the  control  of  a  Board  of  Administration.  This  change 
of  control  did  not  modify  the  original  policy  of  the  organization. 
The  centuries  old  traditions  of  this  firm  are  always  in  the  foreground 
to  guide  the  progress  of  the  Vidalon  Mills,  both  in  regard  to  the  products 
made  and  to  the  creation  of  institutions  for  the  betterment  of  the  condi- 
tions of  the  workmen. 


TH£ 


Location 

Les  Anciennes  Manufactures  Canson  &  Montgolfier  include  three 
factories:  Pupil,  Vidalon-le-Haut,  and  Vidalon-le-Bas,  all  located  in  the 
townships  of  Annonay  and  Davezieux.  The  three  factories  are  situated, 
one  adjoining  the  other,  for  the  distance  of  over  a  mile  on  the  banks  of 
the  River  la  Deume,  which  is  the  property  of  the  Society.  The  buildings 
cover  a  surface  of  10  acres  and  are  surrounded  by  an  industrial  estate  of  7$ 
acres  of  land. 

Production  Material 

The  Vidalon  Mills  are  equipped  for  the  manufacture  of  pure  rag 
papers.  Each  of  the  factories  is  a  unit  in  itself,  including  large  shops  for 
the  reception,  selection  and  cutting  of  rags,  the  working  of  pulp  and 
the  making  of  paper.  The  manufacturing  is  effected  by  $  machines;  3 
flat  machines,  2  cylindrical  and  2  vats.  The  paper  thus  made  is  trans- 
ported to  a  vast  room  where  the  miscellaneous  operations  of  sizing, 
calendering,  cutting,  selection,  packing,  etc.,  are  carried  out.  In  addi- 
tional rooms  are  shops  for  ruling,  making  envelopes  and  boxes  for  writing 


ii 


VIDALON 


The  bridge  of  Pupil 


Rag  stock  room  of  Pupil 
12 


VIDALON 


papers  and  the  manufacture  of  drawing  books  and  pads,  which  last  are, 
perhaps,  the  most  keenly  appreciated  specialty  of  the  house. 

All  this  represents  a  very  powerful  organization  with  the  most  modern 
facilities. 

Water  power  is  secured  from  three  large  dams,  the  smallest  one  being 
over  24  feet  high  and  the  largest  about  33  feet.  These  are  used  as 
the  source  of  power  for  a  great  many  machines.  In  addition  steam  and 
electricity  are  used.  The  hydraulic  motors,  eleven  in  number,  repre- 
sent 420  H.P.  Nine  steam  engines  make  a  force  of  280  H.P.,  the 
steam  for  these  being  generated  in  ten  boilers.  The  electrical  current 
is  received  by  transformers  and  is  used  by  40  motors,  representing  750 
H.P.  The  total  power  equipment  of  these  mills  is  about  1450  H.P. 

The  Water  Supply 

The  source  of  the  water  supply  which  is  actually  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  paper  is  of  unusual  purity.  The  chemical  analysis  shows  that 
it  is  particularly  adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  the  high  grade  papers 
made  at  the  Vidalon  Mills.  Frequent  laboratory  tests  have  indicated 
that  the  character  of  the  water  is  an  important  factor  in  maintaining 
the  quality  of  Vidalon  Papers  as  it  blends  with  the  special  sizing  formula 
used  in  the  papers  manufactured  in  these  mills. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  this  water  never  varies  in  its  unusual 
purity,  coming  as  it  does  from  nature's  bosom  in  the  valley  of  the  Deume. 

Manufactured  Products 

Because  of  the  ample  power  available  and  the  pure  water  supply,  the 
production  of  the  Vidalon  Mills  is  very  large,  especially  when  the  many 
different  kinds  of  paper  produced  are  taken  into  consideration.  The 
papers  best  known  are  the  drawing  papers,  which,  under  their  century 
old  trade  mark,  "Canson"  are  used  the  world  over.  Whatever  may  be 
desired — papers  for  artistic  or  industrial  drawings,  for  pen,  crayon, 
charcoal,  pastel  and  water  color — all  can  be  had  from  the  stocks  of  the 
Anciennes  Manufactures  Canson  &  Montgolfier.  Of  more  than  ordinary 
interest,  also,  are  the  miscellaneous  drawing  articles  such  as  loose  leaf 
sketch  books,  blocs,  mounted  boards,  and  drawing  books  of  different 
sizes,  etc.,  all  of  which  greatly  facilitate  the  work  of  the  artist. 

Besides  the  drawing  papers,  the  other  important  products  of  Vidalon 
are:  Ledger  papers,  writing  and  typewriting  papers,  blotting  papers, 
certificate  papers,  hand  made  papers  for  announcements  and  editions 
de  luxe,  filtering  mass  and  filtering  papers,  linen  mounted  papers,  gummed 
papers  for  packing,  etc. 


VIDALON 


Battery  of  beaters  at  Pupil 


A  paper  machine  at  the  Pupil  mill 
14 


VIDALON 


Official  "papier  Timbre"  of  the  French  State  Department 

At  Vidalon-le-haut  is  also  manufactured  the  "papier  Timbre"  (docu- 
ment paper)  for  the  French  State  Department.  The  quality  of  this 
paper  is  known  to  all  who  use  it. 

Throughout  the  World — Vidalon 

For  the  distribution  of  these  many  products  a  strong  commercial 
organization  is  needed.  This  organization  has  its  general  offices  at 
Vidalon,  with  a  general  manager  at  the  head.  For  many  years  a  sell- 
ing branch,  carrying  a  large  stock,  has  been  located  in  Paris,  39  rue  de 
Palestro.  Its  manager  represents  the  company  in  all  public  administra- 
tions of  business  there. 

Two  other  branches,  one  at  461  Eighth  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
and  46  route  de  Frontenex,  Geneve,  Suisse,  are  well  established.  Be- 
sides, the  firm  has  representatives  in  Belgium,  Spain,  Greece,  Holland, 
Italy,  Norway,  Portugal,  Turkey,  Egypt,  Morocco,  Tunisia,  Indo- 
China,  Brazil,  Chili,  Cuba,  Peru,  Argentina,  Uruguay,  Syria,  Pales- 
tine, etc. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  list  of  awards  obtained  by  the 
Manufactures  of  Vidalon  is  a  particularly  long  one.  Here  are  the  most 
important: 

Title  of  Manufacture  Royale,  April  15, 1784. 

Grand  Prix,  founded  by  the  Ordinance  of  December  28,  1777. 

Legion  d'Honneur,  1831,  1849,  l8^8. 

Medailles  d'or  en  L'an  IX,  1806,  1819,  1834,  1839,  1844,  1849. 

Hors  Concours,  1855. 

Prize  Medal,  London,  1862. 

Diplome  d'Honneur,  Paris  1872. 

Grands  Diplomes  d'Honneur,  Vienna,  1873  an^  Amsterdam,  1883. 

Prize  Medal,  Philadelphia,  1876. 

Medaille  d'Or,  Exposition  Collective,  Paris  1878. 

Grand  Prix,  Classe  X,  et  Medaille  d'Or,  Classe  XIV 

Institutions  Patronales,  Paris,  1889. 
Diplome    d'Honneur,    Exposition    Universelle  de  Photographic, 

Paris,  1892. 

Hors  Concours,  Chicago  (U.  S.),  1893. 
Grand  Prix,  Classe  IX,  and  Medaille  d'or  Classe  VI,  Exposition 

Universelle,  Lyon,  1894. 
Grand  Prix,  Exposition  Universelle,  Paris,  1900,  10  recompenses 

de  collaboration. 
Grand  Prix,  Exposition  Franco-Morrocaine  de  Casabalanca,  1915. 


VIDALON 


Paper  calendering  department 


central  warehouses 
16 


VIDALON 


Personnel 

The  Societe  Anonyme  des  Anciennes  Manufactures  Canson  &  Mont- 
golfier,  which  owns  the  Vidalon  Mills,  obtained,  in  1921,  for  its  per- 
sonnel, 73  medailles  d'honneur,  of  which  10  are  medailles  de  Vermeil 
and  63  medailles  d'Argent. 

The  medaille  d'honneur  du  travail  is  given  by  the  Ministere  du  Com- 
merce et  d'Industrie  in  reward  for  continuity  of  service  in  the  same  estab- 
lishment; d'Argent  for  30  years  and  de  Vermeil  for  50  years. 

When  it  is  considered  that  these  factories  have  a  total  of  less  than 
400  workmen,  the  proportion  of  the  medals  appears  so  large  that  one  has 
a  strong  desire  to  know  more  of  an  industrial  establishment  whose  pros- 
perity is  so  closely  allied  to  the  faithfulness  of  its  workmen. 

Workers  Institutions  and  Community  Welfare 

Since  the  very  beginning,  the  owners  of  Vidalon  Mills  have  under- 
stood that  besides  the  great  question  of  commercial  and  industrial  policy 
there  is  a  great  social  question.  This  last  has  always  been  uppermost 
in  their  minds.  The  results  obtained  from  the  careful  study  of  this 
problem  are  worthy  of  attention. 

Apartments 

The  working  population  of  Vidalon,  which  amounts  to  more  than 
800  inhabitants,  live  in  buildings  belonging  to  the  Society.  These  are 
situated  close  to  the  factories.  Each  family,  in  proportion  to  its  size, 
may  rent,  at  very  small  cost,  2,  3,  or  4  rooms,  with  cellar  and  attic. 
A  number  of  small,  two  family  workingmen's  houses  are  now  completed. 
These  are  built  after  a  special  plan  to  secure  the  maximum  light,  air 
and  cleanliness,  and  they  are  the  first  of  a  model  group  which  the  Society 
proposes  to  build  as  soon  as  circumstances  permit.  These  new  houses 
will  replace  the  old  style  apartments  which  are  not  as  convenient  as  they 
might  be. 

Gardens 

Each  family  is  alloted  a  portion  of  ground  near  the  factories,  3,000 
to  4,000  sq.  ft.,  in  which  to  cultivate  vegetables.  To  aid  in  securing 
good  crops  the  Society  distributes  seeds  and  fertilizers  without  cost  to 
the  workmen.  Under  present  conditions,  which  allow  the  men  much 
more  leisure  than  formerly,  these  gardens  offer  a  good  way  to  enjoy  the 
hours  of  recreation. 

Religious  Service 

Those  of  the  personnel  who  belong  to  the  Catholic  Church  attend  a 
large  and  elegant  chapel  which  is  built  in  the  center  of  the  factory 


VIDALON 


:rlj--/0rvvlo  _ 


Inspection  and  selection  of  sheets 


grounds.  This  chapel  is  served  by  a  priest  chosen  by  the  diocese  authori- 
ties. The  few  members  of  the  personnel  who  are  Protestants  attend 
churches  at  Annonay. 

Schools 

To  offer  every  convenience  to  the  parents  in  sending  their  children 
to  school,  there  is,  at  Vidalon  itself: 

ist.  A  Private  Kindergarten  for  children  of  either  sex  below 
seven  years  of  age.  At  present  it  has  an  attendance  of  30  children. 

2nd.  A  private  school  for  girls,  with  two  classes,  which  prepares 
for  high  school.  There  are  fifty  little  girls  attending  this  school  at 
present. 

Both  kindergarten  and  the  school  for  girls  are  conducted  by  Sisters 
and  private  teachers. 

Boys  of  school  age  go  to  the  Annonay  or  the  Davezieux  schools. 

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VIDALON 


Family  Allotments 

The  head  of  each  family  working  at  Vidalon  receives,  for  each  of  his 
children,  whatever  their  number,  an  allotment  corresponding  to  $%  of 
his  salary.  This  applies  to  all  children  less  than  13  years  of  age  and 
to  all  unmarried  children  of  any  age  who  live  at  home  with  the  family 
and  work  in  the  factory.  The  peculiar  conditions  which  surround  the 
paper  industry  and  which  enable  it  to  employ  the  old  men,  women  and 
children,  have  fostered  the  adoption  of  this  system  to  insure  an  unchang- 
ing personnel  of  large  and  stable  families. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  family  allotments  have  existed  in 
the  Anciennes  Manufactures  Canson  &  Montgolfier  since  October  i, 
1916,  which  is  a  short  while  before  the  movement,  which  originated  from 
Grenoble  (Isere)  under  the  happy  and  energetic  umpulse  of  Mr.  Romanet, 
attained  the  results  that  are  known  to  all  interested  in  the  social  question 
of  the  workman. 

At  the  birth  of  each  child  the  father  of  the  family  receives: 
50  francs  for  the  first. 
75  francs  for  the  second, 
ico  francs  for  the  third  and  following. 

Care  of  Sick 

Nursing  Sisters  are  always  on  duty  at  Vidalon.  These  Sisters  render 
first  aid  before  the  arrival  of  the  doctor  and  see  to  it  at  all  times  that 
the  patients  receive  the  constant  care  and  treatment  necessary.  A  well 
stocked  pharmacy  supplies  free  drugs  and  medicines  to  those  who  need 
them. 

Help  Fund 

A  help  fund,  originating  from  miscellaneous  gifts  and  legacies  has 
been  established  to  aid  the  more  needy  families  with  gifts  of  clothing 
and  other  necessities. 

Cooperative  Society 

A  cooperative  society  among  workers  was  instituted  about  two  years 
ago.  The  majority  of  workmen  are  stockholders.  This  cooperative 
society  supplies  its  members  with  eatables  and  clothing. 

Canteen 

A  canteen  is  installed  in  the  center  of  the  factories.  Meals  are  pre- 
pared in  a  common  kitchen  and  served  at  extremely  moderate  price  in 
two  well  lighted  dining  rooms.  One  dining  room  is  reserved  for  women 
and  the  other  for  men. 

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VIDALON 


Fire  Company 

Because  of  the  isolated  location  of  the  factories  there  has  been  a  fire 
company  at  Vidalon  for  more  than  60  years.  It  is  composed  of  an  officer 
and  40  petty  officers  and  men,  all  ex-soldiers  or  men  of  the  building 
trades — masons,  carpenters,  etc.  Three  pumps  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  factories  furnish  the  necessary  water  supply.  The  Vidalon 
fire  company  has  rendered  signal  services  in  the  past,  as  much  in  neigh- 
boring towns  as  in  the  factory  itself. 


oo 


The  chapel  of  Vidalon 


Onvrlerfaisent  da  papier  a  la  cave  a  VIdalon  au  XVI*  slide 


Sketch  made  at  the  Vidalon  Mills  in  the  Sixteenth  Century 
shows  the  early  methods  of  paper  manufacture 


RoaKRT-L-.TTLLSON 


